Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 904: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the procedures for the vetting of all school employees; if the procedures will impact on staff appointments for the upcoming 2006-07 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15310/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, parents, agencies working with children and society generally and I assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to do all we can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe. In the education sector vetting is available in respect of prospective employees of children in detention schools as well as special needs assistants — SNAs — and bus escorts to children with special needs. My colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, announced a doubling of the number of staff employed in the Garda central vetting unit, which has been relocated to Thurles under the Government's decentralisation programme, to ensure it can handle a greater volume of requests from employers. The provision of additional staff resources will enable the Garda Síochána's vetting services to be extended to all persons working with children and vulnerable adults. This will include teachers, caretakers, bus drivers and others working with children, whether on a full-time or part-time basis.

As a first step in the expansion of services provided by the vetting unit it is proposed that new staff employed in the 2006-07 school year will be vetted. In the case of new teachers, vetting will form part of the process of the registration by the newly established Teaching Council. The council will be responsible for submitting the applications to the vetting unit. In the case of non-teaching staff, it will be the responsibility of the relevant school authorities to submit the applications. My Department is engaged in discussions with the relevant interests — school management authorities, unions, the Teaching Council and the vetting unit — on the procedures and processes which will apply regarding the vetting of persons in the education sector. Guidelines for school authorities are being prepared and will be issued shortly.